Bob Larson (born 1944 in McCook, Nebraska) is a radio and television evangelist, currently based in Scottsdale, Arizona. Larson has authored numerous books on the subjects of rock music, cults, and Satanism, written from a Christian perspective. He has an active following in the Usenet community at alt.fan.bob-larson. Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... McCook is a city in Red Willow County, Nebraska, USA. The population was 7,994 at the 2000 census. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For other uses, see Rock music (disambiguation). ... Cult typically refers to a cohesive social group devoted to beliefs or practices that the surrounding culture considers outside the mainstream, with a notably positive or negative popular perception. ... Peter H. Gilmore, High Priest of the Church of Satan. ... Usenet (USEr NETwork) is a global, decentralized, distributed Internet discussion system that evolved from a general purpose UUCP architecture of the same name. ...

Larson plays guitar; he has claimed his early experiences as a musician led to his concerns about occult and destructive influences in rock music.^[1] He would later incorporate his guitar playing into some of his sermons. In the 1960s, the focus of Larson's preaching centered mainly on the leftist political ideology, sexually suggestive lyrics, Eastern religious mysticism, and antisocial behavior of many of the era's rock musicians. Less flamboyant than the Peters Brothers and less sensational than Jack Chick, Jeff Godwin, or Jacob Aranza, Larson is still remembered as one of the most vocal fundamentalist Christian critics of rock music. For other uses, see Occult (disambiguation). ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969. ... Jimmy Akins rendition of Jack Chick. ... Jeff Godwin is a Christian fundamentalist preacher and author from Bloomington, Indiana. ...

By the 1970s, however, much of Larson's teachings concerned Satanism. Larson originally rejected Christian rock music based on its similarity in sound and image to secular rock music. Larson frequently appeared as a guest on secular and religious talk shows. The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, also called The Seventies. ... Peter H. Gilmore, High Priest of the Church of Satan. ...

"Talk Back" with Bob Larson

In 1982, Larson launched "Talk Back", a two-hour weekday call-in show geared mainly toward teenagers and frequently focused on teen-oriented topics such as role-playing games and rock music. By this time Larson had come to embrace contemporary Christian music, including styles such as heavy metal and rap, and actively promoted the music and artists on his show. Year 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar). ... This article is about games in which one plays the role of a character. ... Contemporary Christian Music (or CCM; also by its religious neutral term inspirational music) is a genre of popular music which is lyrically focused on matters concerned with the Christian faith. ... Christian metal is a form of heavy metal music and its many subgenres with Christian lyrics and themes. ... Christian rap (originally gospel rap, but also known as holy hip hop, or Christian hip-hop) is a form of rap music that uses Christian-themed lyrics to express the songwriters faith. ...

By the late 1980s, in what would come to define his later ministry, Larson was often heard performing exorcisms of callers on the air. The subjects of Satanism and Satanic ritual abuse were frequent topics of discussion. Death metal performers Glen Benton of Deicide and Trey Azagthoth of Morbid Angel became regular callers. Larson's willingness to accept callers' stories of Satanism and demon possession at face value was admirable, but regularly taken advantage of.^{[citation needed]} Many pranksters such as the 'Inner Circle' took delight in getting past Larson's call screeners.^{[citation needed]} The 1980s refers to the years from 1980 to 1989. ... Saint Francis exorcised demons in Arezzo, fresco of Giotto Exorcism (from Late Latin exorcismus, from Greek exorkizein - to adjure, correctly pronounced exercism) is the practice of evicting demons or other evil spiritual entities from a person or place which they are believed to have possessed (taken control of). ... Satanism Associated organizations The Church of Satan First Satanic Church Prominent figures Anton LaVey | Blanche Barton | Peter H. Gilmore | Peggy Nadramia | Karla LaVey Associated concepts Left-Hand Path | Pentagonal Revisionism | Suitheism | Might is Right Books and publications The Satanic Bible | The Satanic Rituals | The Satanic Witch | The Devils Notebook... This article is about the musical genre. ... Glen Benton is a North American heavy metal musician best known as the frontman of Florida-based death metal band Deicide, although Benton himself does not accept the death metal terminology. ... Deicide is an American death metal band. ... Trey Azagthoth (born George Emmanuel III March 26 1965 in Bellingham, Washington) is an American musician best known as founder and guitarist of the Florida death metal band Morbid Angel. ... Morbid Angel is a Florida-based death metal band assembled in 1983. ... Call screening is the process of evaluating the characteristics of a telephone call before a conversation. ...

The increasingly sensational tone of the show, combined with allegations of ethical and financial misbehavior^{[citation needed]} led many affiliates—including all of Salem Communications' stations simultaneously—to drop the show in the early 1990s. Larson's marriage to his wife Kathryn ended in divorce in 1992. Larson eventually married his secretary with whom he has two daughters. Salem Communications (NASDAQ: SALM) is a media company operating in the United States, with 99 U.S. radio stations (pending acquisitions) that are primarily concentrated in the nations biggest markets, including 65 stations in 23 of the top 25 markets. ... Matrimony redirects here. ... Divorce or dissolution of marriage is the ending of a marriage before the death of either spouse. ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ...

In the 1990s, "Talk Back" began losing much of its teen focus, though Satanism and exorcisms remained as the show's cornerstones. The show began incorporating more right wing politically-oriented topics. Despite the new focus, the number of affiliates continued to decrease until Larson ended the show amidst allegations^{[citation needed]} of fraud and romantic entanglements with several female members of his staff in 2001.^{[citation needed]} These revelations of irregularity were first raised in the early 1990s by Ken Smith, a CPA and law student living in Denver who obtained court documents, tax documents, and Larson's personal diary entries proving extramarital affairs.^{[citation needed]} Several former Larson insiders corroborated Smith's allegations, including Jake Ashcraft, a minister, former guest and sometimes co-host of "Talk Back", who made public a personal letter to Larson requesting him to address the improprieties.^{[citation needed]} For the band, see 1990s (band). ... In politics, right-wing, the political right, or simply the right, are terms which refer, with no particular precision, to the segment of the political spectrum in opposition to left-wing politics. ... For other meanings of CPA see CPA (disambiguation) Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) are accounting professionals of the United States who have passed the Uniform CPA exam, which was developed and is maintained by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), and have subsequently met additional state requirements for licensure...

Larson tried his hand at writing fiction: Dead Air (1991) was largely ghost-written by Lori Boespflug and Muriel Olson. His later novels Abaddon (1993) and The Senator's Agenda both linked Satanic ritual abuse to political corruption; the latter was largely written by Larson and his second wife. However, a former vice president of BLM (Bob Larson Ministries), Lori Boespflug, claimed that much of Dead Air, though presented as Larson's work, is actually her own. Supporting these claims is a letter from Larson's lawyer that warns Larson of his "potential liability to Lori", anticipating that "the role Lori has played" would lead her to "demand recognition and/or profit participation" in respect to Dead Air and its sequels.^[1] Satanism Associated organizations The Church of Satan First Satanic Church Prominent figures Anton LaVey | Blanche Barton | Peter H. Gilmore | Peggy Nadramia | Karla LaVey Associated concepts Left-Hand Path | Pentagonal Revisionism | Suitheism | Might is Right Books and publications The Satanic Bible | The Satanic Rituals | The Satanic Witch | The Devils Notebook...

Today, Larson remains active. His ministry professes to offer an alternative counseling outlet to people who have problems with violence, self mutilation, multiple personality disorders, Satanic ritual abuse, or molestation. His team is called "Doing What Jesus Did" and has branches all over the United States where people who are looking for help can find a contact person to come to their home for intense prayer and/or exorcisms.

In 2004, Larson returned to the radio airwaves after a two-year absence with a daily talk show heard on a network of radio stations and simulcast and archived on the Internet. Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

John Safran's Exorcism

In 2003, Australian film maker John Safran came to do a story on Bob Larson for John Safran vs God, a comedy/documentary series on world religions. The final episode was devoted entirely to this encounter. It lacked some of the humorous flair of the previous 7 episodes, starting with a brief introduction to Bob. He talked about his past, and showed John a series of photographs of him with prominent political figures, including Margaret Thatcher, George H. W. Bush, John Major, and Colin Powell, saying; "No one impresses me more as a human being than Colin Powell". Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is the sixth-largest country in the world, the only country to occupy an entire continent, and the largest in the region of Australasia/Oceania. ... This Australian media personality is not to be confused with the American author Jonathan Safran Foer. ... John Safran vs God is an 8 part television documentary series by John Safran which was broadcast on the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) of Australia in 2004. ... Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, LG, OM, PC, FRS (née Roberts; born 13 October 1925) served as British Prime Minister from 1979 to 1990 and leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 until 1990, being the first and only woman to hold either post. ... George Herbert Walker Bush (born June 12, 1924) was the 41st President of the United States, serving from 1989 to 1993. ... For other persons named John Major, see John Major (disambiguation). ... General Colin Luther Powell, United States Army (Ret. ...

Soon after this, the exorcism started, with Bob ordering Safran (a Jew — though non-practicing) to speak on behalf of his ancestors and forgive Hitler, which he did. As Larson continued with the exorcism, Safran's behaviour changed rapidly. He lost his characteristic lisp, becoming violent and angry, and he began to speak in the characters of several of the spiritual figures that he had investigated in previous episodes, including the voodoo spirit Papa Gede[1] and the Hindu god Hanuman. The exorcism focused mainly on Biblical Old Testament scripture; however, Larson advised Safran that to accept Jesus was needful in order to cast out the demons. Larson used this television appearance to promote a tour to Australia in 2004. Saint Francis exorcised demons in Arezzo, fresco of Giotto Exorcism (from Late Latin exorcismus, from Greek exorkizein - to adjure, correctly pronounced exercism) is the practice of evicting demons or other evil spiritual entities from a person or place which they are believed to have possessed (taken control of). ... Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (April 20, 1889 – April 30, 1945, standard German pronunciation in the IPA) was the Führer (leader) of the National Socialist German Workers Party (Nazi Party) and of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. ... Voodoo is a religious tradition originating in West Africa, which became prominent in the New World due to the importation of African slaves. ... This article discusses the adherents of Hinduism. ... This article is about a divine entity in Hinduism. ... The Bible (From Greek βιβλια—biblia, meaning books, which in turn is derived from βυβλος—byblos meaning papyrus, from the ancient Phoenician city of Byblos which exported papyrus) is the sacred scripture of Christianity. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations · Other religions Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      Note: Judaism... This article is about Jesus of Nazareth. ...

John Safran made subsequent radio appearances on Australia's Triple J radio, where he insisted that it was not an act, although he was not convinced that it was entirely a spiritual experience.^{[citation needed]}

Bibliography

• Rock & Roll: The Devil's Diversion (Creation House, 1967)
• Hippies, Hindus, and Rock & Roll (Creation House, 1969)
• Rock & the Church (Creation House, 1971)
• The Day Music Died (Creation House, 1972) ISBN 0-88419-030-7
• Hell on Earth (Creation House, 1974) ISBN 0-88419-072-2
• Babylon Reborn (Creation House, 1976) ISBN 0-88419-006-4
• Rock, Practical Help for Those Who Listen to the Words and Don't like What They Hear (Tyndale, 1980) ISBN 0-8423-5685-1
• Larson's Book of Family Issues (Tyndale, 1986) ISBN 0-8423-2459-3
• Strange Cults in America (Tyndale, 1986) ISBN 0-8423-6675-X
• Larson's Book of Rock (Tyndale, 1987) ISBN 0-8423-5687-8
• Your Kids and Rock (Tyndale, 1988) ISBN 0-8423-8611-4
• Satanism: the Seduction of America's Youth (Lightning Source, 1989) ISBN 0-8407-3034-9
• Straight Answers on the New Age (Thomas Nelson, 1989) ISBN 0-8407-3032-2
• Tough Talk About Tough Issues (Tyndale, 1989) ISBN 0-8423-7297-0
• Larson's New Book of Cults (Tyndale, 1989) ISBN 0-8423-2860-2
• Dead Air: A Novel (Thomas Nelson, 1991) ISBN 0-8407-7638-1
• Abaddon: A Novel (Thomas Nelson, 1993) ISBN 0-8407-7796-5
• The Senator's Agenda (Thomas Nelson, 1995) ISBN 0-7852-7879-6
• In The Name Of Satan: How the Forces of Evil Work and What You Can Do To Defeat Them (Thomas Nelson, 1996) ISBN 0-7852-7881-8
• UFO's and the Alien Agenda (Thomas Nelson, 1997) ISBN 0-7852-7182-1
• Extreme Evil: Kids Killing Kids (Nelson Reference, 1999) ISBN 0-7852-6870-7
• Larson's Book of Spiritual Warfare (Nelson, 1999) ISBN 0-7852-6985-1
• Shock Talk: the Exorcist Files (WestBow, 2001) ISBN 0-7852-7009-4

Notes

ISSN, or International Standard Serial Number, is the unique eight-digit number applied to a periodical publication including electronic serials. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 159th day of the year (160th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

See also

• Larson's Book of World Religions and Alternative Spirituality
• John Safran vs God
• John Safran
• Jack Chick

Larsons Book of World Religions and Alternative Spirituality: All the Facts About Hundreds of Cults is a non-fiction book on cults, New age movements and alternative religions, written by Bob Larson. ... John Safran vs God is an 8 part television documentary series by John Safran which was broadcast on the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) of Australia in 2004. ... This Australian media personality is not to be confused with the American author Jonathan Safran Foer. ... Jimmy Akins rendition of Jack Chick. ...

External links

• Bob Larson's official website
• Bob Larson at the Internet Movie Database
• Cornerstone Magazine article critical of Larson
• Usenet newsgroup devoted to Larson
• Analysis of Larson's teachings and history
• Charity Navigator rating for Bob Larson Ministries
• Bob Larson critique
• Boyd Rice's Debates with Bob Larson (audio)

The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about movies, actors, television shows, production crew personnel, and video games. ...

Recordings of Larson

• A 17-minute recording of Talk Back from 1990, in which Larson debates 13-year-old Mandy about her love of The Cure
• A 20-minute recording circa 1988, of Larson conducting an on-air exorcism via telephone.